Santa Teresa Selecto

Selecto is an older Santa Teresa bottling, a ten year old Venezuelan ron that some longtime drinkers rate among the distillery's better expressions even though it has left the regular catalogue. Santa Teresa is known for its solera 1796 and a smooth DOC style, and this blend of younger rums shows the house's polish at a more accessible age.

Column distilled from molasses and matured in ex-bourbon at 40%, it leads with coffee, cedar wood and caramel on the nose, then turns to roasted banana with burnt and charred notes on the palate. It comes across as relatively dry and oak-driven for a Venezuelan ron, with the roasted, woody character outweighing the dessert sweetness common to the style. A composed older Santa Teresa sipper for those who appreciate coffee-and-oak depth and a firmer, less sweet profile.